Friction let-off.



u Patented Dec. 25, |900.. T. BRINDLEA &. M.y 0. STEERE.

FRICTION LET-OFF.

(Application filed May 12, 1900.)

'(Na Model.)

UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS BRINDLE AND MERRILL STEERE, OF PAWTUCKET,RHODE ISLAND.

FRICTION LET-OFF.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 664.380, dated December25, 1900.

Application filed May 12, 1900.

To rtl/Z whom, it mor/1y concern:

Be it 'known that we, THOMAS BRINDLE and MERRILL O. STEERE, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Pawtucket, in the county ofProvidence'and State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and usefulFriction-Lever, of which the followingis a specification.

Our invention relates to friction-levers for looms, and moreparticularly to that class of such levers which are self-adjusting, andhas for its object to produce a device of this kind which will be verycompact and simple and which can be applied to the loom with but littletrouble and which will utilize a compound lever adjusting the frictionor engagement with the warp-beam, and is thereby rendered very efcientand sensitive.

With this object in View our invention consists in the improvedconstruction and Vnovel arrangement of partsof a friction-lever, as willbe hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawing we have shown a perspective view ofourinvention in position for use, so much of a loom being shown as isnecessary to show the manner of securing our' attachment thereto.

A In practicing our invention we support the Warp-beam l, which may beof the ordinary construction, upon two standards 2 2, which are securedat their ends to the wood girths 3 or other suitable portion of the loomby means of screws or bolts. The upper and lower endsof the standardsare provided with oppositely-extending arms 4 and 5, at the outer endsof which are fulcrumed the levers 6 and 7, respectively. The middleportion of each of the standards is provided with an open-sidedjournal-bearing 8 for the reception of the journal or axle of thewarp-beam. Each of the levers is provided with a friction shoe or brake9 in position to engage with the heads of the Warp-beam upondiametrically opposite sides of its center, and the outer ends of thebeams are connected, respectively, by means of an adjustable rod 10.Journaled in the opposite ends of the upper levers, which we shall callthe long levers, is a roll 11, over which the warp-threads l2 pass fromthe warp-beam to the harness.

Pivotally secured to the longlevers between the roll ll and thefriction-shoes Q are two Serial No. 16,472. (No model.)

short levers 13, the outer ends of which are held in position by meansof a cross-beam 14, upon which the weights l5 are suspended. Journaledin the ends of the short levers beyond the cross-beam is a roll 16,under which.

mal -condition the brakes are so adjusted asy to permit the warp-beam toturn so freely that the tension upon the threads will not be sufficientto hold the short lever at its highest point, but will let it swingdownward upon its pivots to a greater or less extent, as shown by dottedlines in the figure. If the beam should turn more freely, the slack inthe threads will be taken up by the further downward movement of therolls, and if it should not turn freely enough the tension upon thethreads will grad ually.raise the weights until the friction upon thebeam is overcome and more thread is given off, when the weights willagain be lowered, thus tending to always have the warp-threads passunder the roll at the outer ends of the short lever with substantiallythe same tension. By adjusting the tension" of the brakes upon thewarpbeam and by varying the weights upon the short lever any desiredtension may be given to the warp-threads, according to the nature of thegoods being woven. The operative face of each of the brakes ispreferably flat, so as to engage with the periphery of the ordinarydrum, thereby avoiding the use of the grooves which are necessary withthe ordinary rope brakes, and, if desired, one or both of the brakes canbe provided with a flange for engaging with the side of the drum toprevent the brake from slipping off sidewise.

While We have shown and described our improvement as applicable tonarrow looms, it is evident that it will be as equally applicable tolooms of all widths. With a loom equipped with our improved compoundselfadjusting friction-lever it is impossible to have breakages orsmashes of the warp-yarn during the process of weaving, and the opera#IOO tion of the brake is not affected by the atmosphere, which sometimesinterferes very materially with the usual construction of suchk frictiondevices. By providing the standards with the open-sided sockets orjournal-bearings the warp-beams can be easily changed, as all that isnecessary is to lift the empty one out and drop in the-full one.

As above described, it will be seen that our improved friction-lever ispeculiarly adapted for what 'are known as narrow looms, or looms forweaving ribbons, Suspenders, and other narrow pieces, and especiallywith those using elastic material in the warp. evident that slightchanges or alterations can be made in the form and constructionof ourfriction-roller, and we reserve the right to make such changes andalterations therein as will come within the scope of our invention.

' Having thus fully described our invention,

what we claim as new, and desire to secure byy Letters Patent, is-

1. In a friction device for looms, the cornbination, with standardsadapted to be secured to the loom, each of which is provided with ajournal-bearing for the support of the beam, of oppositely-extendinglevers pivotally secured tothe supports upon opposite sides of thejournal-bearings, means for connecting the ends of the levers uponopposite It is ,also

sides of the journal-bearings, a friction-shoe 'upon each lever inposition to engage with the warp-beam, a roll in the ends of the upperlevers, and a roll yieldingly supported beyond Y the roll in the ends ofthe lever, substantially as described.

2. ln a friction-lever for looms, the combination, with two standards,the ends of which are provided with means for securing it in positionand with oppositely-extending arms, and the central portion is providedwith a journal-bearing, of a lever fulcrumed at the end of each arm, abrake on each lever in position to engage with the head of the warpbeam,an adjustable rod secured to the corresponding ends of the levers foreach head, a roll journaled in the opposite ends of the upperlevers,short levers secured to the long.,r levers between said roll and thefrictionbrakes, a cross-beam at the outer end of said short levers,vweights upon said cross-beam, and a roll journaled in said short leversbeyond the cross-beam, substantially as described.

THOMAS BRINDLE. `MERRILL O. STEERE.

Witnesses:

FREDERIC A. GREENE, SAML. T. DOUGLAS.

